What does ready-or-not mean for me right now? It means ready-or-not I still need to exercise.  I’m out of my routine, no fitness-room or group class. Today I found myself with a workout video in a dim, dusty corner of the farm shop. My circumstances haven’t changed my need for exercise. If I wait for ideal circumstances my wellness will tank. So, ready or not, I must exercise.

We sold our home and as a crew of 7 are living in a tiny space (240 sq feet to be exact) while blazing a new path. Can one ever be fully ready for the unknown?  We are doing something we’ve never done before, ready-or-not. I bring groceries home, a lot of groceries, whether a place for them is ready or not. We are learning about grey water and black water and, ready or not, I guess the bathtub serves as an overflow!? And sometimes driving too close to our old neck of the woods brings an unexpected wave of emotion, and I try to stifle my sniffs.

The usual dinnertime comes daily, ready or not and I regularly raise an eyebrow at my children and count down from 3 whether or not I’m ready with what to say next. But, while all of this is happening, ready or not, the wide Wyoming sky stops me in my tracks with its yellow and pink and blue, or driving down the dirt road I spot 6 baby raccoons scurrying up a tree. I’ve never seen that before.

Ready or not, it rained an inch in 30 minutes and left puddles that squealed to be driven through and splashed in and even belly-flopped in.

Ready or not, dinosaur bones were sticking out of the ground on the family farmland and now a dig team with people from around the world are uncovering their dreams and inspiring ours. We found ourselves touching an actual long-neck femur bone and listening to paleontologists with heavy British accents describe their specialities on the site.

It’s good for me to remember that, ready or not, today is the day to live and to love, to look around, to work and to forgive. To delay this or to expect happiness when things are “settled” robs me of precious gifts of the now.  I do crave order and work towards it but, those puddles were really awesome. And though it was past bedtime, reading Charlotte’s Web cozily crowded on my bed was really tee double ee double rr double rr double eye double ff double eye double see see see see see.

Ready or not, Carpe Diem.